Six former Guantanamo prisoners arrive in Uruguay

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – According to reports, four Syrians, one Tunisian and a Palestinian had been jailed as suspected Al-Qaeda members since 2002 but were never charged. Uruguay accepted the men as refugees on humanitarian grounds.

Uruguay’s President José Mujica has called the prison “a disgrace” : “It’s not a prison, that’s a kidnapping place. Because a prison implies a reference to a legal system, with the presence of an attorney,with a decision taken by a judge, a minimal reference to any judicial point of view. There is nothing of this.”

Guantanamo was opened by the American President George W. Bush after the 9/11 events to house suspects rounded up overseas. Most of the detainees have been held for a decade or more without being charged or tried. There are currently 136 inmates at Guantanamo and Barack Obama promised to close the prison when he took office nearly six years ago, but has faced obstacles and objections from Congress.